JUON: The Curse
by ju-on1190
Summary: A house with a brutal past places a blood curse on the people who interact with it. Adapted from Takashi Shimizu's film. R&R PLEASE!
1. Toshio

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Ju-on films or anything related to their existence...or anythingrelated to the remake The Grudge. Now, on with the story!

JU-ON: THE CURSE

TOSHIO

It was sunset over the Saitama Prefecture, and Shunsuke Kobayashi was returning from a long day of teaching grade school students. He couldn't shake that one student off his mind: Toshio Saeki. He wasn't showing up for school, and Kobayashi dreaded the thought of another home visit.

He was now at his apartment (Apt. 205, to be precise) and he entered to the happiness of his wife. She was cooking his favorite: Chicken Teriyaki. Manami, his wife, was 8 months pregnant and he couldn't help but worry about her from time to time.

"Is it OK to move around so much?" he asked.

"It's OK, I'm fine!" she said before she returned to cutting up a turnip.

After they finished dinner, Kobayashi continued diligently on Toshio's file. He looked up at his wife, now eating a bowl of ice cream, and spoke.

"Do you remember Kawamata from our college?"

"Kawamata…Kayako Kawamata?"

"Yeah…Kayako."

"She was kinda creepy, wasn't she? Why do you ask?"

"Her son hasn't been showing up for school. I might have to make a home visit."

"It's hard being a teacher, huh?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Kobayashi was in front of the Saeki household's front door. He knocked one. There was no answer. He knocked again, again to no answer. Fed up, he tried the door handle. It was unlocked.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he asked through the crack in the door. There was, yet again, no answer.

"_I guess I'll try the back._" He thought. As he thought this, he heard a window slide open.

He strolled towards the back and as he passed a rather large bush, he saw two small arms sticking out of a metal grate.

It was Toshio.

As he rushed to the little boy's aid, asking if he was OK. Toshio said nothing as he slid backwards and into the bathroom. Kobayashi whirled around the house, in through the front door, and into the bathroom, where Toshio lay sprawled on the floor.

"Toshio!" Kobayashi said in alarm.

He picked up the limp child and carried him to the living room. By now, Toshio was fully conscious and sat himself up as Kobayashi set him on the couch. The teacher raised his hand.

"Let me, OK?" he said to Toshio before putting his palm to Toshio's forehead. It was cool to the touch.

"No fever…" the teacher said to himself. Then he noticed the bandages.

Strips of band-aid packaging littered the floor. It was easy to find out where the actual bandages were: they were taped all over Toshio's body to hide some cuts and large bruises.

As an icebreaker, Kobayashi pulled out Toshio's student folder.

"Looks like your parents are going to be late, huh? Are they out shopping?" he questioned.

"Together." Toshio muttered.

"Together?" Kobayashi replied.

"Yeah."

Toshio now hung his head over his shoulders. To try and continue the discussion, Kobayashi pulled out a drawing that Toshio scrawled of his parents: Kayako and Takeo.

"The other teachers really liked it, Toshio." He said with no reply from Toshio. A cat meowed outside. Kobayashi went to the window to investigate.

As the young teacher looked out the window, a loud meow emanated from Toshio, looking evilly at the teacher.

* * *

On the second floor, something watched on the scene.

"Kobayashi-kun…" the thing whispered as it vanished from view.


	2. Yuki

YUKI

"_Will this kid ever learn fractions!_" thought Yuki Murakami.

She had come over today because Kanna, her cousin, was having "trouble" with her math homework the day before it was due. Besides, she wanted to see their new house. Kanna's brother Tsuyoshi was in the other room listening to some god-awful CD.

"_At least I have taste._" She thought again, smiling to herself.

She looked at Kanna, who stared at her math homework like some death sentence. Yuki couldn't help but feel pity for her. Her eyes wandered to the windowsill, where Kanna's cat figurine collection lay. Yuki just couldn't shake off the feeling that they were staring at her, Instantly, she turned them all around so they faced the other way. Alongside her, Kanna snickered.

The door knocked, causing Yuki to jump a bit.

"Come in." she said to their visitor.

Noriko, Kanna's mother, entered the room with a tea tray and some snacks. Yuki smiled.

"I need to go out for awhile and get some groceries, so eat this during your break." The woman said in a hurry. Kanna seemed annoyed.

"_Thanks_, mom." Kanna responded.

A meow of a cat echoed through the window, causing Yuki to glance at the figurines again as if they were alive.

"There's so many of these out here. Don't worry, Yuki. I'll chase it away."

"Maybe it's the one we heard yesterday." Kanna said inquisitively.

Noriko got up and went to the door.

"Study hard with your cousin, Kanna." She reminded in a cheerful tone.

Before she exited the door, she turned around to Yuki.

"By the way, have dinner with us tonight!"

"Thank you, Aunt Noriko."

"Just go already." Kanna said as she shooed her off with her hand.

She left the room and closed the door as Kanna started on her homework yet again. Before awhile, she glanced at Yuki.

"Hey Yuki…do you have one? A boyfriend?"

Yuki rolled her eyes.

"That's got nothing to do with what we're doing!"

And then, Kanna struck a deal.

"If I get to here," she pointed to a question on her book. "will you tell me?"

"Yeah. Sure."

5 minutes later, she was done and they were eating snacks off Noriko's tea tray.

"So do you?"

Yuki paused for momentum and replied…

"No, I don't, but…" her voice trailed off. She was listening to something.

"Do you hear that?" she asked. Kanna shook her head.

"Quit it, Yuki. What about your ex?"

She didn't answer. She kept looking at the ceiling. Suddenly, Kanna had a burst of realization.

"Oh god! I have to get to school!" she said in a flurry of panic.

"There's school _today_?" said Yuki.

"Nah, it's my turn to feed the rabbits with Hisayo."

"The rabbits? Kanna, you spaz!" Yuki scolded.

As the two girls exited into the hall and down the stairs, Kanna stopped by Tsuyoshi's door.

"Mi-zu-ho!" she chimed to Tsuyoshi's annoyance.

"Who's Mizuho?"

"Guess what? Tsuyoshi got a girlfriend!" Kanna said to Yuki's astonishment.

"How is she?"

"Well, she's real cute and…" Kanna started, but was cut off by Tsuyoshi.

"Quit running your mouth, Kanna!" Tsuyoshi said angrily.

All she said was "Mi-zu-ho!" and she ran out the door.

Yuki wished her a safe trip and headed back up to Kanna's room.

"_At least she finished her homework._" Yuki thought.

She heard that noise again, like a death rattle. It still emanated from the attic. She dismissed it as nothing and pulled out her CD player and pressed play, only to hear the CD skip again and again. When she pulled off her headphones, the croak was still there.

"_Enough is enough. I'm getting out of here._" She thought as she stuffed her CD player in her purse and exited the room.

She emerged into darkness. And from that darkness came a black cat. In fear, Yuki rushed to the closet and climbed inside. The cat followed her, hissing at her in an evil manner. The croaking noise seemed louder and she looked up. There was a small hole right above her. Desperately trying to escape the feline menace, she clambered through the hole to look inside.

The attic was dark times ten and filled with cobwebs. The croaking noise was louder now. She pulled out her trusty silver lighter to try and at least see what was going on around her. As she clicked the lighter to life, the croaking became louder…and louder…and louder. It was then she felt a light brush on her face. Whatever it was, it was right in front of her. She raised the lighter to see a pale white face, its mouth gaping with the croaking originating from its putrid vocal cords.

Yuki didn't have time to think as she was pulled out of the closet and into the unknown evil.


	3. Mizuho

MIZUHO

It was late in the afternoon and Mizuho Tamura was furious. It was apparent that her boyfriend Tsuyoshi Murakami had stood her up. They _were _supposed to go on a date, but now it looks like he had vanished.

"Tsuyoshi!" she called repeatedly. She was now in the high school courtyard, and up ahead was Tsuyoshi's bike.

"_Why would he be here of all places?_" the schoolgirl questioned.

Glinting in the sunlight was a small silver cell phone. Mizuho picked it up and inspected it.

"It can't be Tsuyoshi's…Mr. Omuta took his away last Friday." She muttered.

"What are you doing?" a voice croaked from behind her.

Mizuho turned around to see Ms. Matsubara, the student supervisor. She quickly bowed and said…

"Excuse me ma'am, but I'm looking for my friend Tsuyoshi Murakami. Could you page him for me?"

"OK, but hurry up." She grumbled.

Mizuho rushed inside, taking off her shoes and stuffing them into the nearest empty cubbyhole.

10 minutes later, Matsubara's voice rang through the school.

"Calling Tsuyoshi Murakami. Tsuyoshi Murakami, please report to the science lab immediately. That is all." The intercom boomed.

In the science lab, Mizuho waited expectantly. She set her gaze upon the cell phone and decided to place a quick call to the Murakami household to see if he forgot about the date. She picked up the cell phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, Mrs. Murakami? It's Mizuho. Is Tsuyoshi there? No, he's not with me…hello? Mrs. Murakami?"

The line went dead in her hands.

Frustrated, she went back to her table and flicked a desk light on and off. On and off. Suddenly, it wouldn't come on anymore. The room was bathed in darkness.

"What the—" Mizuho murmured as she looked under the table, setting down the cell phone.

Her suspicions were correct: the lamp was unplugged. As she reached over to plug the cord back in, she saw two small white feet pass by her range of vision. Then the cell phone started to ring. As Mizuho slowly raised her hand, she felt her heart skip a beat. She screamed in terror when instead of a phone, she felt the ankle of a small child. She covered her ears to drown out the noise of the child jumping up and down on the table. As soon as it began…it stopped.

She crawled out from under the table and leapt towards the door. As soon as she opened it, it didn't take long for her to register the inky blackness of the hall outside in her mind.

Through all this, the silver cell phone kept ringing. Mizuho raised her head towards the LCD screen to see the phone number as:

44-444-44444

Mizuho reeled back in terror and looked back towards the dark hallway. Weighing the two options she had, she picked up the cell phone and answered the call.

"H—hello?" Mizuho barely trembled the words off her tongue.

All that answered was a loud meowing. At that moment, she felt something grab her cuff. She turned around to see a little boy as white as a ghost, whining and meowing like a cat.


	4. Tsuyoshi

TSUYOSHI

Tsuyoshi Murakami rode his bike into the courtyard of the local high school and waited for Mizuho. He couldn't help but think he was a bit harsh to Kanna, so he decided to make it up to her later after his date.

It was then he noticed a small silver cell phone on a rock near a big tree. It was ringing. He walked silently to the phone and picked it up, looking at the LCD screen.

44-444-44444

Dismissing the coincidental number, he answered the call.

"Hello?"

All he heard was a loud meowing. He started looking around the courtyard as if expecting to see Mizuho in the bushes playing a prank. He didn't see anyone. A large gale whipped through the trees.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm standing right next to you." Replied the voice of a little boy. Tsuyoshi suddenly felt the urge to look behind him.

He turned to see a pale white little boy, meowing like a cat.


	5. Kanna

KANNA

In the city morgue, Dr. Mitsuo sat in the corner staring at the covered body several feet away. The white sheet that covered the body had eerie splotches of blood, a grim foreshadowing of what lay beneath.

The door to the right of him opened, and so entered Det. Yoshikawa and Det. Kamio.

"This is the corpse we found at the school?"

"Yes it is, Detective. I have to say…I've never seen such a corpse. It's as if she was twisted and turned by some unnatural force."

"You say you found rabbit fur mixed in with the blood?"

"Yes, but aside from that, there's no evidence of a second person involved…except for this."

Dr. Mitsuo brought out a small tin container covered with a piece of white sheet. He lifted the fabric and showed the "evidence" to the two detectives.

"A jaw?"

"A human jaw, detective. By the way, did you identify the corpse?"

Det. Yoshikawa pulled out three photographs from his pocket.

"Ms. Matsubara said that she only saw three girls come into the school. This is Hisayo Yoshida, Mizuho Tamura, and Kanna Murakami. Ms. Tamura seems to have disappeared, while your corpse is Ms. Yoshida."

"And what of Murakami?"

"Bloody footprints were found outside the school. Theblood was her's."

* * *

Noriko returned to an empty house late in the afternoon. She was looking forward to having dinner with Yuki and couldn't wait to see Kanna's progress on her homework.

"Kanna! Help me carry in the groceries!" she shouted upstairs as she opened the door. There was no answer.

"Tsuyoshi!" she shouted again as she walked up the stairs. She started into Tsuyoshi's room, but he wasn't there.

"_Probably went out with his girlfriend._" She thought. The phone rang from downstairs.

She ran down the stairs and answered the phone.

"Hello? Oh, Mizuho! No, Tsuyoshi's not here…I thought he was with you."

The front door opened and she saw a figure come in out of the corner of her eye.

"Hold on, Mizuho. I think he's here now." She said as she laid down the phone.

She approached the lurching figure as it came up the stairs. Noriko could pick out a school uniform amidst the darkness. It must be Kanna.

"Kanna, have you seen—" but her voice stopped as she looked down on the foot of the stairs. There was blood. Lots and lots of blood.

"Who…are you?" Noriko murmured to the bloodstained person. It was her last words.

Slowly, the figure raised its blood-splattered head and turned around. Noriko screamed in utmost terror as she gazed upon Kanna, a toothy red hole where her jaw used to be.

* * *

What do you think, eh? Possible R-Rated caliber in the next two chapters.

REVIEW!


	6. Hisayo

HISAYO

"Kanna, hurry up with those rabbit pellets!" Hisayo Yoshida said as she cleaned out the rabbit cage.

Kanna was in a corner with the rabbits, stroking them and petting them.

"Yeah, Hisayo. I'm coming." Kanna said, annoyed.

She rushed towards the rabbit cage, cutting herself on the metal bars in the process. A small whimper of pain escaped Kanna's mouth.

"Hang on, Kanna. I'll get you a band-aid." Hisayo said as she exited the room.

The school seemed a lot creepier with nobody in it, Hisayo thought. Luckily, the first aid cabinet was right down the hall. As she came to it, she heard a faint noise down the hall…like a death rattle. She dismissed it as nothing and got a band-aid from the cabinet.

A scream pierced the hallway silence. _Kanna!_

Hisayo ran back to the classroom to find the rabbit slaughtered in its trashed cage. Hisayo clicked on her emergency flashlight clipped to her belt and started looking for Kanna. The noise seemed louder now.

She turned around to see a pale white woman on the floor in a bloody garbage bag crawling towards her. Hisayo fell to her feet and crawled backwards. She stopped in terror as she felt something behind her, dripping with blood. Hisayo felt herself take a bludgeon to the head, and her vision became blurry. Her last images were of a small boy, the crawling woman, and Kanna, missing her lower jaw.

A second scream pierced the hallway, followed by a silent croaking death rattle.


	7. Kayako

KAYAKO

It was now sunset, and Toshio's parents hadn't returned home. Kobayashi still waited at the living room window, occasionally glancing to see a sleeping Toshio on the couch. He punched in Manami's number and waited. A voice came on the line.

"Hello, Kobayashi Residence." She said.

"Manami? It's Shunsuke."

"Finally you call! I've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry…I'm still at a student's house. His parents haven't come home yet."

"I'll give you thirty minutes. Honestly, Shunsuke…"

A doorbell rang on the other line. He wasn't expecting any visitors…

"Someone's at the door. I'll call you back later. Bye!"

He clicked off the phone and put it in his pocket. He looked down to see a torn up photo. Rearranging the pieces like a puzzle, he derived a family portrait. Toshio and his father, Takeo, were grinning at the camera. Kayako's face was crudely torn out. He glanced over his shoulder habitually, only to see the couch vacant.

"Toshio?" he said loudly. He heard voices on the second floor. One was a child's: the other's was…a woman's?

Kobayashi slowly walked up the stairs as to catch bits of the conversation.

"Mother, did I do it correctly?"

"Yes, you did."

"Will dad be coming?"

"Very soon."

Kobayashi was now at the bedroom door where the voices were. He opened it…and Toshio was drawing on the floor. Relaxed, he glanced around the room to see drawings of cats. Lots of cats.

"Toshio, was someone in here with you?" he questioned.

"Kobayashi-kun…" It was the woman's voice. Kobayashi, determined to find the voice, stepped out of the room and into the hall.

He looked over the balcony into the foyer, but there was no one there. Behind him, he heard a door creak. He turned around to see the door to the master bedroom fully open. He reluctantly entered.

The bedroom was strewn with papers. Kobayashi stepped through the papers and to the main desk, which had photographs on it. All the photographs featuring Kayako had her face torn out like the portrait. He wavered his glance upwards to see a journal. Inscribed on the front cover was "Kayako Kawamata". He opened to some random pages and began to read.

"Today Kobayashi's eyes met with mine…" 

"…_I saw him in a comic book store. He's browsing, as usual…"_

"_I'm in love with a person who doesn't acknowledge my existence…"_

"_I'm pregnant with a child. The doctor says it's a boy…"_

The rest of the pages were either bloody or scrawled with one word: KOBAYASHI. He dropped the journal and it landed on a torn page, revealing a poorly drawn eye. It seemed alive, staring at him.

"Kobayashi-kun…" the voice rang out, louder this time.

It was coming from the closet.

Kobayashi stepped wearily towards the closet, a light buzzing coming from the inside. He opened the closet to find many flies buzzing towards the open attic door. Pulling out a lighter, Kobayashi raised it up in the attic to get a better view. He wished he hadn't.

Inside the attic, wrapped up in a garbage bag, was the body of Kayako Saeki.

He ran out of the room and picked up Toshio.

"Toshio, we have to leave. NOW." He shouted.

They were down the stairs in a flash. Then he realized something.

He ran into the living room and left, gathering up his briefcase and files.

When he was in the foyer, his cell phone rang. He dropped the stuff he was carrying and pulled the phone out of his pocket.

"Hello?"

"This is the teacher right?"

"Who is this?"

"Takeo Saeki. Kayako's husband." His voice was bitter and cold.

Kobayashi's face went pale.

"Look, I…"

"I know all about you and Kayako. That's why we're changing places. Up to now I've raised Toshio…now it's your turn."

"Changing places? What?"

"Mr. Teacher, your baby's been born."

Kobayashi felt time stand still.

"I see that it's a girl." He laughed.

The cell phone dropped as Kobayashi slid to the floor. Kobayashi didn't hear Takeo scream in terror, followed by a croak like a death rattle. Wherever Takeo Saeki was, Kayako had got to him.

Still in shock, Kobayashi didn't notice Toshio pick up his cell phone and start talking.

"Mom? I have him. Yes. Yes." Toshio said as if in a trance. After he finished, he emitted a low sigh.

Sounds of cracks and croaks filled the air as Kobayashi looked up. Whatever it was, it was coming towards the stairs. A bloody arm came out of the darkness, then another, followed by a face. Kayako Saeki was very much alive. She came down the stairs, lunging, crushing, grabbing for Kobayashi. He backed towards the door, grabbing and feeling for the door handle. He finally grabbed ahold of it and opened the door. It wouldn't budge, opening just a little.

"Kobayashi-kun…"

Kobayashi looked up to see Kayako's head through the crack, lunging for him.

Several feet away, Toshio made the meow of a cat through Kobayashi's silver cell phone.


	8. Kyoko

KYOKO

The young and pretty Kyoko Suzuki walked towards her brother's real estate business.

"What could he possibly want this time?" she muttered to herself as she walked through the sliding door. Her brother Tatsuya greeted her and offered her some sake.

"Tatsuya, isn't Nobuyuki waiting for you at home?" she scolded.

"Fine, let's get down to business. I need you to look at a property with me."

"Why?"

"This house has a history. Everyone that's lived there has died. You're psychic, so I was wondering if there was anything…unusual there."

"Fine…where is it?"

* * *

It was now late in the afternoon, and Tatsuya was unlocking the door to the Murakami residence. When he was finished, they stepped inside and into the foyer.

"I hope the buyer doesn't mind buying the house as is…" Tatsuya said.

Kyoko felt a presence towards the window on the second floor. She could've sworn she saw a woman. She blinked…and it disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Tatsuya questioned.

"It's not just those people who died here." Kyoko whispered.

In a trance, she moved upstairs and into the master bedroom. The light inside flickered on and off.

"Tatsuya," she shouted downstairs. "Get me some distilled alcohol!"

Tatsuya did as she requested, bringing her the bottle of sake. She took a big swig from it and spluttered. She ran towards the window to the outside and spat it out, coughing. She turned towards Tatsuya.

"Distilled alcohol is used in exorcism," she said raspily. "Because it's able to absorb large amounts of psychic energy. Leave the sake in this room. Whenever someone wants to buy the house, make them sip this sake. If they spit it out, they can't be allowed to live here. Promise me, Tatsuya!"

"I don't understand." Was all he said.

"There's nothing more I can do here." Kyoko said quietly as she descended the stairs and out into the night sky.

* * *

In Tatsuya Suzuki's new apartment, Nobuyuki Suzuki was sitting in the TV room, a glazed look on his eyes. Everything that had happened in the past few weeks was a blur: his parents getting in that car crash, him moving to another part of the city, losing his friends…at least he had his Uncle Tatsuya and Aunt Kyoko. As he mulled this over, the TV signal started getting worse and worse. He moved forward to fiddle with the TV…and saw the most disturbing image he'd seen.

He stumbled back and gasped for breath. This stopped when he felt a hand crawl up his back. He turned his head over his shoulder to see a woman looking at him, her hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"What? You sold it!" Kyoko shouted into her cell phone.

"It's alright. I made them drink the sake." Tatsuya replied as he sat in his office.

Kyoko had nothing more to listen to as she shut off the phone and ran towards the Saeki house.

* * *

When she finally arrived, the front window was drawn open. Kyoko stood paralyzed in fear, finally realizing what the curse, the Ju-on, had become.

The placard that read "Kitada Residence" was to her a farce. Standing at the window, looking straight at her, was none other than…

Kayako Saeki. The woman, smiling, turned away from Kyoko and into the confines of the house.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a camera's flash go off. She turned to see a policeman walking off, a sullen expression on his face. Was he crying?

Kyoko pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Sato, her assistant in her detective agency.

"Suzuki Detective Agency." His voice rang out on the phone.

"Sato? It's me."

"What do you need now, Kyoko?"

"I'm going to need all information connected to the Murakami disappearances and anything related to it. Think you can do that, Sato?"

"Why do you need this?" Sato replied inquisitively.

"Just do it, Sato." Kyoko retorted, and hung up.

* * *

The next day, Kyoko was watching the children play in the park, laughing and having the time of their lives. She wished she could have some of that innocence back. An arm came to rest upon her shoulder. She turned to see Sato, smiling and holding a stuffed blue folder.

"Kyoko…I've read some of this stuff and it's pretty creepy. You sure you want to read this stuff?"

"Positive."

"Kyoko…I don't want you to die." Sato said as he patted her shoulder and walked off.

Kyoko started flipping through the folder:

Well-Known Artist Slays Family in Saitama Prefecture House… 

…_Takeo Saeki (24), is still missing after brutally murdering wife Kayako (22) and son Toshio (6)…_

…_Murderer Saeki found dead in neighborhood street…_

…_Saeki has been connected with another brutal murder…_

…_body of Toshio Saeki still missing…_

…_Murders and disappearances in Saitama home…_

…_Noriko Murakami, Kanna Murakami, and Yuki Murakami were all found inside the attic of an infamous house…_

…_Shunsuke Kobayashi (26), a local teacher, was found inside the Saeki house…_

…_wife of elementary school teacher found brutally murdered in Apt. 205…_

The last article stuck in Kyoko's mind. What made it so familiar? Then it clicked. Kyoko ruffled through her purse and eventually dug out Tatsuya's new apartment address: the apartment number was 205, in the exact same complex.

She froze as she received one of her "psychic feelings": the Ju-on had spread to more places than just that house. It was in that apartment. Where Nobuyuki was.

She sprung up and ran to Apt. 205, where a lingering evil lay.

* * *

It was nighttime when Kyoko arrived to Tatsuya's apartment. Kyoko, out of breath, pulled out her key and tried the door. It was already unlocked. Kyoko walked fearfully into the inky-black apartment. The first noise she heard was the static of a nearby television. She ran into the TV room and tripped over an outstretched leg on the floor. It was Nobuyuki.

"Nobu-chan! You'll die if you stay here!" She yelled to the boy. He just stared towards the double sliding door of the living room.

The doors were slid open just a little, revealing a slice of gray light emanating from the room. Kyoko moved forward, flung open the doors, and immediately recoiled in terror.

It was like a flashback, except it seemed all too real. A bloody Takeo Saeki was in front of a very dead Manami Kobayashi, pulling out…_something_ from the woman. Then Takeo slowly turned around to look at the fear-driven individuals in the back of the room. Kyoko's world went black as the Ju-on spirit approached.


	9. Tatsuya

TATSUYA

Yoshimi Kitada stepped outside her home and went to get the mail (as she did every day.) She pulled the day's letters out of the mail slot and flipped through them. Several were addressed to Saeki.

"Wrong address again…" Yoshimi muttered.

Just as she turned to walk inside, the voice of a police officer stopped her.

"Excuse me miss, but are you Mrs. Yoshimi Kitada?" He said.

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"I'm from the local police station, delivering some items used in an investigation. Can you sign here, please?"

He handed her a small lumpy package along with a clipboard. She signed the paper attached to it and handed it back. The officer thanked her and walked off.

Yoshimi arrived at her front door and opened the package. Inside was a child's drawing of his mother and father. The other item was a small bound book, a journal, with the name "Kayako Kawamata".

The Ju-on took hold of Yoshimi as she stared at the diary with all intent.

Later that day, Yoshimi and her husband Hiroshi were just about to eat breakfast. Hiroshi took a sip of the coffee and spluttered as Yoshimi fried the eggs in the frying pan.

"Hey! You changed the beans…you know I only like Blue Mountain…" he complained very loudly.

Yoshimi didn't respond, as if in a trance. She picked up the frying pan and slid the eggs onto Hiroshi's plate.

"Oh no, Yoshimi! You left the egg yolk! What's wrong with you today—" Hiroshi shouted but was cut off by a very audible _THWACK_.

Yoshimi Kitada had picked up the frying pan and brought it down with full force onto Hiroshi's head. He flailed around and fell on the floor. Yoshimi went to the other side of the table, sitting down and buttering her toast as Hiroshi flailed on the floor like a dying fish.

* * *

In the Japanese countryside far, far away from Tokyo, Tatsuya Suzuki had brought Nobuyuki and Kyoko to his parent's house in the hope they would get better after some fresh air. A thought lingered in his mind that it would take more than fresh air to make them well. 

Tatsuya and his mother Fuji sat in the parlor as they watched Kyoko, dazed and pale, looking as if possessed. His father Taiji walked into the room, coming back from a healthy run.

"Taiji, please! We should take them to the hospital!" Fuji pleaded to her husband.

"What could medicine and doctors do? Huh?" He replied, bitterly but with remorse.

Tatsuya realized.

"It was the apartment…and the house."

"Yes. Kyoko has always been…sensitive. When she was a child, she could see things others couldn't. Kyoko, I think, is possessed by what possessed the house. This isn't just Kyoko's problem." Taiji recollected. At the end, he looked back at Kyoko, who was now rocking back and forth very slowly. Nobuyuki sat in the far corner of the room, watching.

Tatsuya got up and exhaled.

"I have some business to attend to in the city. Call me if anything happens."

And with that, he left the house.

As Tatsuya stepped out the door, his cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Suzuki?"

It was Mimoji, his secretary at the realty office.

"I'm calling because Kyoko's waiting for you here."

Tatsuya recoiled in shock.

"Um…tell her I'll be right over."

"Yes, sir." She said, and hung up.

* * *

In the Suzuki realty office, Mimoji was hanging up on her boss, Tatsuya. Across from her, seperated by a frosted glass panel, was what appeared to be Kyoko Suzuki. 

It was, in fact, Kayako.

"Excuse me, but manager says he'll be a bit late today."

The woman behind the panel replied, "I understand."

Mimoji got up to see the woman, but upon view, she had vanished.

* * *

"Come in, Mr. Suzuki!" Yoshimi Kitada said as she welcomed in the real estate agent. 

Tatsuya walked in the house with a smile. It was, of course, fake.

"This place has changed so much!"

"I know, hasn't it? I know this good decorator."

"Where's Mr. Kitada?"

"I'm sorry, but he's been out since this morning."

As Tatsuya walked into the admirable living room, he noticed the drawing by Toshio Saeki.

"Ma'am, how did you come upon this drawing?" he asked.

He turned around to see Yoshimi on the couch, her head hanging limply off her neck and her face obscured by her hair.

"I'm sorry, but he's been out since this morning." She repeated. The voice sounded oddly…different.

* * *

Back at the Suzuki household, it was apparent that Fumi had joined the ring of obscure insanity. 

Taiji was in the parlor, alone, sipping some herbal tea.

"K…K…Kyo…Kayako is laughing! Kayako is laughing!" Fumi shouted as she watched Kyoko rock faster back and forth. Fumi then burst into insane laughter. Nobuyuki remained in the far corner, silent as a stone.

A meow penetrated Taiji's thoughts. It was coming from the back room. Right behind him.

He stood up, went to the sliding shoji screen, and slid it open. He saw the face of Toshio Saeki coming up from the bottom of the floor.

Taiji fell back and started crawling away in a futile attempt to escape. He looked up to see the ancestral pictures lining the wall had changed from numerous individuals to just one: Kayako Saeki. He looked into the living room to see Fumi, dead. He didn't know if Nobuyuki was dead or not.

Inside the room containing Kyoko, or what remained of Kyoko, Nobuyuki stood still, trying to block out the psychic attacks of the Ju-on.

The Ju-on realized he was strong, and it would take more to envelop him.

Kyoko wasn't Kyoko anymore.

She was Kayako.

* * *

In the Kitada house, Tatsuya was watching the ever so silent Yoshimi. 

"Miss?" he questioned.

His cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

A loud meow was all that responded. As he beeped off the phone, he noticed the meowing continued. He glanced to see that Toshio Saeki was right next to Yoshimi, meowing into a silver cell phone.

Tatsuya screamed as he fell to the floor and backed into the corner. Yoshimi rose from the couch and towards Tatsuya, kneeling before him. She raised her head to reveal the face of Kayako Saeki, pure rage on her face.

* * *

Many hours had passed in the Suzuki home, and all the inhabitants were "dead". All except for Nobuyuki.

* * *

It was 5:30 in the morning, and Nobuyuki was on the bus to Tokyo, and had just pulled up to his apartment complex. He silently got off the bus and went into the elevator up to his floor. He arrived to his apartment, Apt. 205, and went inside. In half an hour, he had his backpack ready and he went back onto the Tokyo streets. He walked down the street towards Keisei Jr. High. 


	10. Kamio

KAMIO

Detectives Kamio and Izuka stood in front of their partner Yoshikawa's house. Kamio couldn't help but be concerned for him after the Murakami case. He had suffered a complete mental breakdown afterwards. They made their way to the front door and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Yoshikawa answered.

"Excuse me, but I'm Kamio Yuzu and this is Izuka Igarishi. We're Yoshikawa's partners." Kamio said.

"I know who you are." She replied, bitterly.

"We wanted to check up on him. Is he here?"

"No he isn't. Please leave." She said, and shut the door.

They wouldn't give up so easily. Kamio and Izuka walked around to the back and peered through the shrubbery. Sitting on the porch was Yoshikawa, staring blankly into space. Yoshikawa tilted his head towards the two cops, and started a godawful scream. Mrs. Yoshikawa rushed to her husband's aid and begged at the cops.

"Please! Just leave!" she shouted, and they did so.

* * *

Kamio and Izuka sat in their tan sedan, watching a sullen-faced Nobuyuki Suzuki walk towards Keisei Jr. High.

"Wasn't that kid found in an abandoned house a few weeks ago?"

'Yeah. His grandparents were found dead. His aunt and uncle is still missing."

"I recently found out that he lived in the apartment where the Kobayashi murder took place. Mr. Kobayashi was found in the attic of the Murakami house after they died or disappeared. Only this kid is still alive."

"Kamio?"

"Yeah?"

"How did Yoshikawa go crazy?"

"He saw a photo of Mrs. Yoshimi Kitada, now missing, and just broke down."

"Show me that photo."

* * *

Back at the Yoshikawa household, Mrs. Yoshikawa had stumbled upon a very dead Mr. Yoshikawa, eyes frozen in fear, staring at the ceiling. She heard a weird noise, a croaking, above her. She turned to see the image of Kayako Saeki, eyes moving back and forth, suddenly locking onto her. She joined her husband in the corner before silently becoming part of the ring of horror.

* * *

Izuka was sitting on a plastic bench outside of the evidence room of the Saitama police station. Before long, Kamio emerged, in his hands Yoshikawa's photograph and a photo of Yoshimi Kitada before she moved in the house.

"What do you notice about these two photos?" Kamio said as he handed the photos to Izuka.

"Well, her appearance has changed drastically, and…"

"Who does she _look _like, Izuka?"

Izuka realized it.

"She looks like…"

"Exactly like Kayako Saeki."

Kamio plucked the photos of Yoshimi away and pulled out a lighter.

"Kamio!" Izuka shouted.

"I don't care what they'll say about me, but I believe in curses. I now fully withdraw myself from this case."

Kamio proceeded to burn the pictures, setting them down in an ashtray. Kamio, with a calmed expression on his face, re-entered the evidence room. Izuka sat down on the bench, staring at the smoldering pictures. He pulled out a scrapbook and flipped to see a picture of Kayako in happier times. He felt a hand tap his shoulder and turned around to see Detective Anjou.

"Excuse me Izuka, but there's a woman here to see you and Kamio." She said in a pleasant tone.

"Fine, fine." Izuka said as he got off the bench and started to walk to the front office. Anjou's voice stopped him.

"Izuka, I noticed you have a picture of the woman who's here."

Izuka was shocked.

"You mean _this_ woman? Right here?" he said as he pointed to Kayako's picture.

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"This woman's been dead for a year."

They didn't see the shadowy figure of Kayako float into the evidence room. A half-second later, Kamio burst out of the room, screaming and pointing.

"Kamio!" Izuka and Anjou shouted.

Kamio didn't respond, still screaming.

"Calm down, Kamio! Calm down!"

Izuka ran into the evidence room, Anjou following him. Their screams were muffled inside the room.

Kamio, still in shock, glanced in fear at the evidence room. Then the croaking started. Kamio glanced down at the floor and saw Kayako emerge from beneath the bench. Without a sound, Kayako pulled the helpless man under the bench and into the darkness.


	11. Nobuyuki

NOBUYUKI

At Keisei Jr. High, five students remained in Mr. Yubari's math class, cleaning up. One of these students was Nobuyuki Suzuki. The others, two boys and two girls, were buzzing about the room. Nobuyuki was staring out into the courtyard and torrential rain. The noise inside the room stopped, and Nobuyuki looked over his shoulder to see…an empty room. Everyone had disappeared. He looked back towards the courtyard and there was _someone_ in the rain: a pale woman with long, black hair.

A thump on the window distracted his thoughts. Its origin: a pale, milky hand scratching to open the window. Eventually it was successful, and the pale woman with black hair cracked and crumbled into the room. It lunged for Nobuyuki, a hungry look on her face.

"_Kayako._" A voice rang in Nobuyuki's thoughts.

He found himself at the door of the classroom. With a burst of action, he flung open the door and ran out into the inky black hall. He turned behind him and saw the woman—Kayako—crawling fast for his feet. He resumed running towards the exit. As he ran down the stairs, he saw an impossible image: it was the woman, crawling toward him with her hair over her face. She made a horrible croaking sound—like a death rattle. Another croak joined the other, and Nobuyuki looked towards the ascending stairs. It was the same woman. There were two of them. He gasped one more time and exhaled as a strange new power took over him. Then, his entire world went black.

* * *

There were now two figures inside the art room, and about a thousand outside. One was Nobuyuki, now succumbed to the Ju-on. The other 1,001 were duplicates of Kayako Saeki.

* * *

Outside the school in the courtyard, it was still raining heavily. Along with the sound of rain on the concrete, 1,000 more croaks rung out in the air. Kayako Saeki and her many multiples stood on the concrete, croaking into the fading sky. 


	12. Saori

SAORI

Many, many years later, four schoolgirls were in the house. To be more specific, they were in Kayako and Kanna's room, giggling as they gossiped. Of course, they broke into the house, but it wasn't for value.

The main leader, Saori Aki, was looking around the closets and such when she found a long brown bottle. Sake.

"What did you find, Saori?" Chiaki Ishigura said. She was flipping through a discarded magazine.

"It's sake." She replied as she took a big swig from it. She immediately started coughing and gasping.

"That's no sake."

"Guys, I really think we should leave." Izumi Toyama said with a whimper as she stood up.

"Why do you have to be so chicken, Izumi?" Ayano Matsubara scolded.

"I don't care! I'm leaving." Izumi yelled as she exited the room. Chiaki started to follow her, but she was at the foot of the stairs. She seemed transfixed, in shock. She then proceeded to run out of the house and into the afternoon.

Outside the house, Izumi was crying as she left, realizing what would become of her friends.

She ran down the street and turned the corner as Kayako Saeki proceeded to attack, creating the new curse: the Ju-on would continue.


End file.
